Hummingbird feeders are designed to dispense nectar, which is usually a sugar-water solution, on demand. They are specialized feeders because provision must be made for the hummingbird's long beak, with which it obtains the nectar. The feeders are normally suspended from a tree branch or other high objects five to ten feet above the ground by a wire or string. The sugar-water solution not only attracts hummingbirds, but also ants that climb down the suspension wire to reach the nectar. Hummingbirds may be prevented from feeding merely by the presence of ants that collect on the feeder. In addition, the ants will contaminate the nectar by falling in and drowning in the solution. In the past, users have been instructed to coat the wire of their prior art feeders with some type of solid food oil, such as butter or shortening, to render the feeders ant resistant. While this jury-rigging serves to somewhat deter, it does not fully prevent the ants from reaching the nectar solution.
The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved hummingbird feeder device that is not subject to the disadvantages of the prior art.